Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Make slits in roast with a sharp knife, and insert garlic slivers. Place roast in a pan not much larger than the roast. Pour water into pan, and season roast with salt, black pepper, red pepper, and oregano.

Cover, and bake in preheated oven for 2 hours, basting occasionally. Remove from oven, and let cool in roasting pan. Meat should be very rare. Wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, Remove roast from pan, and slice as thinly as possible. Add a little water to roasting pan, and heat on stovetop, but do not boil. Stir to blend seasonings. When au jus is hot, add sliced beef just long enough to heat through. Serve on crusty Italian bread with au jus available for dipping.

Footnotes

Most Helpful Positive Review

Mar 30, 2008

Dick, fine job! There are Italian Beef's,then there are "Chicago style" Italian Beefs. Yours i would classify as Chicago style. I also use beef broth instead of water. In Chicago, from where i was raised & just returned from, the only topping you would get are either sweet peppers or Giardinera (hot). No mushrooms or any of that other stuff, but thats perfectly ok for each individual preferences. When it comes to Chicago style Italian Beef's, im just a purist as all.
For the people who said rump is too tough, you first roast to no more than medium! That way when you slice the meat, I should say SHAVE, it does not crumble. That degree of doneness has nothing to do with tenderness. After cooling(important cause hot meat crumbles)inserting the shaved meat in the Au Jus the redness will dissapear.
Do not waste the x-tra $$ on beef tenderloin. Rump or top round or sirloin tip will be just fine as well as eye of round, although eye of round is NOT the
tenderloin!
Dick, out of all the Beef joints in Chi-Town, Al's is probably tops, but then again it's all a personal preference. For all of the people out there "ad libb'ing" a Chicago style Italian Beef, they have to know what an original really is & how it's served! Sort of like in Philly at Gino's or Pat's. Cheese Whiz or American Cheese. Thanks for letting these folks in on a Chicago staple.

I'm from Chicago but have moved away. I love this recipe when I'm craving an Italian beef sandwich! Mine is slightly different though. I don't use water but a combination of beef broth and beer. I leave it in the slow cooker while I'm at work. When I get home it's perfect on a crusty italian roll with some mozzerella cheese!

Thank you! You should rename this one the ONLY REAL Italian Beef Sandwich Recipe! We also moved away from the city of Chicago, and couldn't believe what they were passing off as "Beefs" in our new locale; shredded or loose meat with only a hint of seasoning, and carrots! AAAGH! I came up with this method too after trial and error.I also use flavoring in the water added to the roasting pan, usually a little Worcestshire and a teaspoon of ready-to-use beef bouillon. We use a whole beef tenderloin, mostly for ease of slicing, so that we have enough for a big party or extra for the freezer. My recipe calls for an herb/spice rub, with an eight cup each basil, oregano and parsley in dried form. A dash or two of dried diced onion, crushed red pepper as hot as you like, and salt and pepper to taste. Put on half of this before inserting the garlic and half after. An easy way of doing the garlic is to make shallow scorings lengthwise down the tenderloin and then pat in minced garlic from a jar. Sometimes we use a third to a half jar, depending on the size of the roast. Proceed as you do with Dick's recipe, but with a whole tenderloin (sometimes called eye of round) you might need longer for the larger size -- we usually leave it in the oven for 4 hours. The first time we used the recipe, we put it in a roaster for a 70-person grad party, and it was the most requested entree, around 12 pounds completely gone right down to the gravy.
Hope the "tweaks" will help..Salute!

This makes an excellent sandwich.DO NOT change this recipe,its very good as is.I say this to you, because many cooks have a tendancy to change recipes to find the optimum.I have received many request for this recipe.

I have been looking for a recipe for these for 10 years!!!! Thank you so much. My husband who has never been to Chicago now knows why I miss it so much, THEIR ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES! Thanks again, they are incredible.

Thanks Dick!!!!!!! My hubby grew up in Chicago and I made these for him and he tells me every time that I make them (which is about once a week!) how happy he is that I found a recipe for ITALIAN BEEFS!!!! We live in Indianapolis so it's not to easy to just run up to Chicago to enjoy a treat like Italian Beefs! I love them, the kids love them and the hubby loves them! What little work goes into them is very well worth it! We serve them on crusty bread with banana peppers and provolone cheese! YUM!

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.